- The best results are seen in patients who are at least 21 years old.
- Your prescription should be stable for a minimum of a year.
- You need to be in good health. Being able to heal well is important for a good result. Your eye doctor will also ask about your history and your family history of eye disease.
- If you’re pregnant or nursing, you will need to wait, because of the steroid drops you are on after the surgery. Dr. Lindahl says that it’s a myth that vision changes during or after pregnancy.
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Your doctor will examine your eyes for things such as pupil size and cornea thickness to find out if you’re a good candidate for LASIK.
Can I follow the recovery instructions?
At Rochester Eye and Laser Center we recommend you not drive immediately after having LASIK surgery. Healing is rapid, and most patients return to work the next day. You should feel little to no pain and perhaps a slight sensation of pressure. You should be able to see better 1 – 2 hours after the treatment, but you’ll notice a dramatic difference when you wake the next day. Dr. Lindahl will advise you if you need to avoid contact sports and swimming for 2 – 3 weeks.
- You’ll have to take a break from certain sports, such as swimming. Your surgeon will let you know what to avoid and for how long.
- No eye makeup for a week.
- You can return to work, but avoid dusty, windy conditions or strenuous activity.
- Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.
- It’s important to go to follow up appointments to be sure you’re healing well and to address any issues you may have, such as dry eyes.
Am I ready?
- If you’re concerned about what LASIK surgery will be like, write down a list of questions for your surgeon, or take a look at these answers to some common questions.
- Come up with a plan for how you will pay for the surgery. Here are our special financing plans with more information to help you pay for LASIK.
- Ask yourself what life will be like with no glasses or contacts.